Dr. Thandiwe Chavula is a physician-scientist with expertise in immunology, myeloid cell biology, and translational biomarker research. She received her medical degree from the University of Malawi College of Medicine and practiced as a Senior Medical Officer in Internal Medicine before pursuing research training in the US as a Fulbright Scholar.

Dr. Chavula completed her M.S.c in Immunology at University of Nebraska Medical Center (2018) investigating peripheral biomarkers in systemic lupus erythematosus. During her Ph.D. in Immunology at Baylor College of Medicine (2023), her doctoral research established cadherin-11 as a novel regulator of macrophage and dendritic cell function in lupus. Her work required extensive multicolor flow cytometry to characterize myeloid cell populations and assess immune cell activation states, skills directly applicable to spectral flow cytometry profiling of T cells, B cells, and immune checkpoint molecules. She translated her mechanistic discoveries into clinical application through an independent human cohort study validating serum cadherin-11 as a biomarker in pediatric lupus patients.

Currently, a Postdoctoral Research Scientist at UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dr. Chavula investigates peripheral-CNS immune communication in Alzheimer’s disease (AD), examining how peripheral immune dysregulation contributes to neuroinflammation. This work bridges her immunology expertise with neurodegeneration research, providing direct exposure to AD mouse models and AD-relevant mechanisms and plasma biomarkers.

Dr. Chavula’s combined expertise in immune cell phenotyping by flow cytometry, plasma biomarker validation, and understanding peripheral immune contributions to disease makes her well-suited to contribute to research investigating how APOE genotype and aging affect immune checkpoint pathways and peripheral immune cell populations in AD. Her long-term goal is to establish an independent translational research program investigating peripheral immune dysfunction and neuroinflammation across autoimmune and neurodegenerative diseases.